We've talked before about the conflation of prog, weirdness, and technicality. Sometimes, the terms get used interchangeably, which gives us the wrong impression about the music we're listening to. Specifically, technicality is equated as a not just a component of progressive music, but as progressive nature in and of itself. If you listen to any amount of music that falls into the categorization of 'djent', you'll be greeted with the argument that merely playing pop songs in rhythms that aren't strictly four-four is enough to qualify as progressive. Technicality does not by itself make music more progressive, more intellectual, or more interesting.
What makes both progressive and technical music most interesting is when the artists can blend unusual ideas and instrumental acrobatics with strong melodic songwriting. That subverts our expectations, and gives us multiple layers for the music to work on. It's special, and also something quite difficult to pull off. Very few bands have been able to master both sides of that coin, from my experience.
Primaluce aims to do just that, blending fret-burning guitar playing with melodic singing that indeed borders on pop music. The first minute of the record is a mixture of cinematic keyboards and frenetic runs of guitar notes that tell us this is an album trying to capture the complicated nature of life. When the vocals enter, the progressive metal edge tones down to an AOR feeling, recalling the best moments of Seventh Wonder and Tommy Karevik. The chorus is a soaring bit of beauty, and a wonderful give-and-take with the musical intricacy, not unlike that band's phenomenal "Alley Cat".
The band, led by Stefano Primaluce, packs a lot into each song. The longest are only seven minutes long, but they are able to ebb and flow, taking us from mood to mood as the notes fly by. Diversity is a key to the record, both from song to song and within each song. The band doesn't stay focused on any one motif or mood for long, letting everything breathe as it kaleidoscopes out from the melodic center.
Though completely different in tone, the approach reminds me of Sunburst's "Manifesto" from 2024, which should have been the Album Of The Year. Like that album, Primaluce is able to play deeply involved music that features melodies more lively and memorable than most of the 'melodic metal' that purports to focus on that aspect above all else. Primaluce's approach to the existential quandaries of life is to focus more on the uplifting aspect, which makes this a rare technical album that leaves me with more of a smile than with musical envy.
There's a lot to enjoy over the course of twelve songs and seventy minutes. The band rarely lets up, delivering strong compositions and performances from start to finish. Last year, progressive metal was headlines by the return of the classic Dream Theater lineup. In a few weeks, we might be getting this year's progressive headliner from the Neal Morse Band. If I'm being honest, "Way Of Perfection" is operating on a higher level than either of them. You could think of this record as being a blend of John Petrucci's wizardry with (classic era) Neal Morse's ear for sticky melodies, and you wouldn't be far off.
I've been largely unimpressed by a lot of the music that is supposed to be important as of late. I thought that was an indication of something wrong with me, but then an album like Primaluce's comes along and reminds me that indeed, I'm still capable of getting swept up in and enjoying a great album when I hear it.
That's what I'm hearing with "Way Of Perfection".
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